Campbell was full of witty sarcasm and blustery showmanship on stage and the crowd ate it up. He stressed that this reboot is entirely its own entity; a fresh start that takes advantage of the vast improvement in makeup and effects since 1981. Though he admitted to being “a little embarrassed” about some of the earlier film’s DIY effects, he said he’s more excited to have the tools -- and the acting talent -- to make this second round superior.

“Are we going to go back and fix (the original) like George Lucas did? No,” Campbell said to the applauding audience.

It was also on this stage that Campbell formally announced that the script for “Evil Dead 2” has been written. He hopes one day we’ll be able to watch all three of the original films, followed by all three of the latter series. There’s no reason they can’t coexist as far as he’s concerned. I’ll have more from Campbell after I interview him later in the festival.

I took some of the edge off of all that gleeful dismemberment with a quick stop at A&E’s opening night party, then made my way back to the convention center where I waited 40 minutes to catch the shuttle to my rental car. I arrived home at 2:45am -- just enough time to grab a few hours sleep before I do it all over again. Stay tuned.